YakYak

5.4 - pulsestate

See the changelog for what's new (follow link on my games page)
or just read below...

http://www.incitti.com/Blitz/


History:
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Apr 19 5.4
- pulsing blackhole
- re-arrange order of generators
- fix Multiplier going to 11X
- move & shrink X Multiplier display
- change multiplier amounts
- reduce blackhole 'harvesting' points

Apr 03 5.3
- handle fuzzy numbers from digital joy values
- warning sound when shield going out

Mar 28 5.2
- fix typo in joystick fire deadzone

Mar 14 5.1
- fix gfxset save/load
- build with BMax 1.18 (minor changes to BASS interface)
- added 'sound set' - user or default
- place your own sounds in 'sounds/user' folder

Mar 13 5.0
- slightly longer snakes
- MAX particles set to 50K
- MAX stars set to 10K
- particle gravity changes
- blackholes only pull when active
- User gfx folder (for mods)
- new icon - thanks SimpleMan46
- added 1280X854

Mar 8 4.9
- colours in external file for easier moding
- new grid pattern

Mar 7 4.8
- slow down greenies again
- bigger player explosion
- grid modifications
- adjust spawn again (prevent them appearing too close)

Mar 4 4.7
- menu linewidth fixes
- grid effect extend to right and lower edges

Mar 1 4.6
- better default scores
- fix multispawn blackholes
- less particle radius pull on blackholes

Feb 28 4.5
- linux buildable
- check 32/24/16 depth for gfx
- modify particle orbit on title
- P-Key during score to show settings string
- fixed hybrid drift
- menu fixes
- baby cube spawn fix

This is great

Something I did notice though was that sometimes, the bonus icons were coming up as all magenta.

Also, some of the enemy generators are scrolling around with you as you move.

Noticed that bit with the generators too. They can't be shot (where they appear to be) but if you find the 'fixed' one it represents, both will disappear when the real one is kllled.

Questions about the larger playfield:
Is it maybe a bit overlarge (geometry wars example:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... 1456226900)
[edit]Longer video, but with less irritating music.

and

Is there any way it could always be scrolling slightly (instead of fixed until you get close to the edge of your screen). Makes it difficult to see what's coming up. The example link above shows constant scrolling at a rate slower than ship speed, such that if you were in the center of the playfield, you would appear to be centered exactly onscreen, but if at the far right playfield edge, say, you'd be closer to the right 4th or 5th of the screen (hope that makes some sense, finding it hard to describe).

I think I know what you mean rev, but the scrolling "zone/threshold" seems OK to me - it's quite challenging having to make some "emergency maneuvres" because you're about to go head first into a baddie

Aha, good stuff once again.

I noticed the following generators too. I also wonder if the ship needs to be faster now that there's more play area, as drifting around it at the moment is rather slow. The problem with changing the ship speed, I guess, is that you'd have to alter bullet speed and possibly enemy speed too, in some kind of balancing nightmare!

I initially thought it was a bit easier with a larger area but my scores & play time are still in the same zone as they were in 1.8 so I guess not. Seems to balance itself out nicely once it gets going.

Just had an instance where briefly, the ship/bomb display went into the centre of the playfield, but then went back to its normal position at the top of the screen.


@MarkInc - Hope you don't think I'm nit-picking - just reporting things as I find them.



This really is a cracking production mate!

Ah yes, I did notice the ship/bomb drop to the bottom of the screen a few times myself. I though it might have been deliberate, for reasons I couldn't fathom at the time because I was busy blasting away.

Mark, have you changed anything with the Joypad stuff as it's not seeing them on here any more!

Nice job with the scrolling, Mark.

The control problems people are experiencing are possibly due to putting input-related code into its own bmx file.

Incidentally, I use Hybrid controls, and noticed that the mouse aiming is, for lack of a better term, wonky.

That really was quite excellent!

Fair bit of love gone into that.

Bit difficult tho innit? Spawn central!

Well done anyway.

The pink pinwheel generators are showing their transparent background color, but not the actual vector-style outline.
edit: pic

So is the larg playfield a final decision? I have to say, I prefer the "everything all at once" style of the earlier versions. No chance of going back to the smaller graphics of the previous builds to get the same effect?

In Geometry Wars 2, the scrolling playfield isn't as important. Powerups are automatically added on as scores are achieved, so having one show up offscreen isn't an issue. With the new scrolling playfield, I can have a powerup eaten by a black hole before I have a chance to snag it.

Plus there's just something pure about being able to see every single possible threat all in a go.

James

Hey markinc, I'm hosting these on an unstable webhost at the moment, so they might go down again before you get a chance to see them.


click for alternative powerups.png<--may have to refresh cache for this one.

Interesting developements so far. Will sit back and see how this one plays out.

Thanks guys,

The magenta powerups - that indicates they are about to expire.
- the back and side shooters turn into magenta triangles
- the other powerups seek each other out, merge and form a triangle generator

I did spot the generator draw error, among many other bugs.
(so many places to add -gxoff, -gyoff !)
This was just the first build. Much refinement to come.
I'll post up a fixed version 9 am-ish EST

The playfield size is a variable now - so easy to build a version where it is the same size as the screen.


Thinking of..
- the scrolling box should be a bit closer to center
- something needs doing with the powerups (maybe seek out the player occasionally?)
- increase ship/bullet speed ?
- maybe change playfield size (1280/1024) screen (1024/768) (it's really only 128 pixels extra all around)
- look at hybrid controls
- check the setorigin 0,0 - (bomb drawn in middle of screen problem)
and any other issue that comes up

I did move the controls stuff to a separate file.
Maybe something is not being initialized correctly?